'Enchanted' Figurine Is Spain's Oldest

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It's missing a head and some limbs, but an "enchanted" ceramic
idol recently unearthed near Barcelona is thought to be the most
ancient human figurine ever found in Spain, archaeologists say.

The 3-inch (8-centimeter)-long pottery fragment was uncovered
over the summer during excavations at Can Sadurní cave in Begues,
Barcelona province — a site perhaps best known for the discovery
of the oldest
evidence of beer-drinking in Europe. Researchers say the
statuette is 6,500 years old, making it the most ancient human
figurine from Catalonia, as well as the whole Iberian Peninsula.

The majority of Neolithic idols found in the Mediterranean are
female, but the lack of breasts on the torso suggests this
figurine is male, the researchers said. Holes in the arms
indicate it was strung up with a cord or a leather strap to be
used as a necklace or to decorate a cave home.

The figure is thought to have had some religious or spiritual
importance, and "all its characteristics point towards what, in
prehistory, can be defined as an idol," read a statement about
the discovery from the University of Barcelona.

Because of its possibly
magical significance and the fact that Begues residents are
sometimes given the Catalan nickname "Els Encantats" ("The
Enchanted"), archaeologists have called the figurine "El Encantat
de Begues."

The lower limbs seem to be attached to the torso at an angle,
suggesting, the researchers believe, that when the figurine was
whole it would have been in a sitting position or would have had
its legs bent. From what's left of its arms, the archaeologists
believe its upper limbs were outstretched. The team also
speculates that the figure's head would have been mobile and
interchangeable, fitting into the neck-hole like a puzzle piece.

The dig at Can Sadurní is led by researchers from the University
of Barcelona and the organization CIPAG (Collectiu per la
Investigació de la Prehistòria i l'Arqueologia del Garraf-Ordal).
The team hopes further excavations at the site will turn up other
fragments of the figurine.